Being Positive can Make you Happier
Do
you think you are a positive person? How?
What
things can you do to be more positive?
A positive body and mind will make a
positive spirit. But how do we know that? People are different, and their ways
to getting a positive attitude can be different too. However, there are some common
things in how to make a positive mind.
Here is one tip. Stop listening to others
and listen more to yourself. For example, we are told that successful people
wake up early. But that’s not always true
for everybody. Instead, the most successful people follow one simple thing - they
do what’s best for themselves.
If you’re someone who gets his or her best
work done at night, then do it at night. If you feel like exercising before
work, then do that, too. If you like to play heavy metal music in your office
to help you concentrate, then that’s good too. But of course your coworkers may
not feel positive about that.
Doing what is best for you will make you
feel less guilty about doing what others say is best for you. And it will also give you a feeling of flexibility and freedom about how you
can do your best. As we already know, productivity is one of the most vital parts of positivity.
Practice patience
There is a cliche that says that “patience is a virtue. “ But it needs a lot of patience to achieve that. One of
the first things to do is to try to keep calm. This may sound easy, but it is
not. We worry a lot about trivial things.
So, instead, follow the advice you've always heard a lot. Ask for help from your friends. Concentrate on
your breathing and being happy about what you have. Another good way is to
put things in perspective. For example, if the thing you want does not
happen; then will everything still be okay? The answer is probably yes.
Cover
your bases.
This might seem easy to say, but so many
people forget. These are the things you’ve been told since you were a kid. There
are things such as getting enough sleep, eating right, being active and
putting yourself into a good living situation.
Dream big.
One of the final pieces of advice is that
while positive thinking on a daily basis is important, it's important to make
sure your head isn’t too
far up in the clouds. Dreaming about
your future can be one of the greatest things to motivate you. But be careful not to spend too much time
worrying about what can go wrong. So be kind to yourself. And be someone that
does (does or achieves things) and not just talks or thinks.
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
flexibility
|
A
|
1
|
To repay for some action
|
vital
|
B
|
2
|
To start something, to begin
|
cliche
|
C
|
3
|
An exact amount, to be clear and exact,
precise
|
virtue
|
D
|
4
|
To continuously annoy, agitate
|
trivial
|
E
|
5
|
Humble, not a large amount, opposite of
arrogant
|
put things in perspective
|
F
|
6
|
To repay money
|
bases
|
G
|
7
|
To break a rule
|
head up in the clouds
|
H
|
8
|
Something small that really annoys you
|
A=3, B=1, C=8,D=2, E=7, F=4, G=6,
H=5
Some
example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they
are used in the reading to help you understand better.
1. The student asked me to be flexible
about the time because she would be late.
2.
It is vital that you take warm clothes, New York is very cold in January.
3.
It is a cliché to say these people are always late, but they seem to do it
every time.
4.
One of the virtues of a mother is that she cares strongly.
5.
You need to be at the test on
time, this is not a trivial test.
6.
We worry about too many small
things. So knowing that health is more important than money helps us to put things into perspective.
7.
We are going camping tomorrow,
so we need to cover all bases by
preparing for all kinds of weather.
8.
She has her head up in the clouds, she thinks she
will pass this course, but she is absent too much.
Some
questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your
answer.
1.
Do you think that you are a flexible person? Why or why not?
2.
If you want to succeed in your
job or study, then what things are vital?
3.
What clichés are there in your culture about happiness?
4.
What virtues do you look for in a boy or girlfriend?
5.
Do you worry about trivial things? If you do, then how can
you change?
6.
Think of some examples of how
you can put things into perspective
in your life?
7.
Are you an organized person? Do
you cover all bases when preparing
for a job interview, meeting, or some other important event?
8.
Describe someone that has their
head up in the clouds.